Three Malayan tiger cubs were born Friday at the Cincinnati Zoo, officials announced Tuesday.

The young cubs are being cared for at the zoo's nursery.

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First-time mom Cinta’s maternal instincts did not kick in, and vets, concerned that the cubs’ body temperatures would dip too low without the warmth of mom’s body, made the call to remove them from the den, zoo officials said.

“It’s not uncommon for first-time tiger moms not to know what to do. They can be aggressive and even harm or kill the cubs,” said Mike Dulaney, curator of mammals and vice coordinator of the Malayan tiger Species Survival Plan. “Nursery staff is keeping them warm and feeding them every three hours."

The cubs will be cared for in the nursery for now and will move to Cat Canyon when they’re weaned and no longer require constant care.

Visitors should be able to see them playing and running around in their outdoor habitat in early spring.

Three-year-old Cinta is the second-most genetically valuable female in the zoo population, and dad, 15-year-old Jalil, is the third-most genetically important male, officials said.

This combination of lineage gives these cubs the opportunity to contribute much-needed genetic diversity when they eventually receive breeding recommendations from the Malayan tiger SSP, the group that manages the health of the population in the 28 accredited zoos that care for this subspecies.